Quai Chouinard

The tour of the St Lawrence River, meal, show and dance where fantastic. A must do when visiting Old Quebec City.

Good trip from Quebec to the montmercy falls ( from the river)

What is the best way to explore some of Québec on a misty moisty day in May? Take a river cruise! The Louis Jolliet was waiting for us down at the Quai Chouinard. The ferry is an appealing, tubby vessel of several decks, painted in jaunty maritime shades of blue and white, with gaily striped funnels. On board, all was bliss. Huge windows to stare through, comfortable chairs to lounge in, a bar, and a bistro. For the brave seafaring type of person, there were plenty of outdoor areas featuring a brisk breeze and a first-hand view of the passing show. One of us took his camera out there and snapped away, and the other huddled indoors with coffee. We were both content. The journey took us up a stretch of the St Lawrence on one bank until we reached the Montmorency Falls, which are a pretty spectacular sight seen even from that distance. We then cruised down by the other bank of the river, giving us on both legs of the trip a fine riparian view of some of Québec. Perhaps in summer the vistas would be more rewarding, or even in autumn, with that Fauvist shout of colour provided by Canadian deciduous trees in moult, but there was interest enough for us in the shipping, the docks and the industrial complexes. Canada is a mighty exporter of minerals, and the St Lawerence is a mighty waterway, one of the larger arteries in the corpus of world trade. This little jaunt brought that fact home to us with clarity. The commentary - bilingual, and provided by a cicerone dressed in tricorn hat, frock coat, cottonwool perruque and knee breeches - was truly worth listening to. The gentleman seemed to know exactly what was in our minds, and it was necessary merely to wonder ‘What’s that over there?’ and he would at once explain. He even knew why the coast guard cutter ‘Amundsen’ appeared to be aimlessly stooging around in the stream ahead of us. ‘Swinging its compass’, said our guide immediately. Now that’s a man who is informed! The journey takes about an hour and a half, which was plenty of time to rest our weary feet and knees - the Old City of Québec features many slopes and stairways. We in effect had morning coffee in a floating restaurant with ever-changing views. We recommend the good ship Louis Jolliet.

A very nice historic place for the family to visit.

Had a great time there.It was really a fun trip